The BTK Story

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The Next Step

Although the two-year investigation ended without an arrest, the knowledge gained and some of the samples collected formed the of the basis for the work of the squad.

''We tried a hundred thousand theories," now retired Lt. Al Stewart said.  “We checked house numbers, the victims' length of residency, the phases of the moon, we read books, looking for arcane connections to mythology, witchcraft and demonology.”

On Oct. 31, 1987, the body of 15-year-old Shannon Olson was found dumped in a pond in an industrial area, partially disrobed and stabbed numerous times.  Her hands and feet were bound. The murder sparked off an outbreak of letters to the police and media suggesting the BTK Strangler committed the crime.

On Dec. 31, 1987, Mary Fager, the married mother of two daughters, returned to her Wichita home after spending 2 1/2 days out of town.  Upon entering her house, she discovered her husband, Phillip Fager, dead; he had been shot twice in the back.  Her two daughters, 16-year-old Kelli and 10-year-old Sherri, were both found strangled in the hot tub situated in the basement of the home.  Sherri's hands and feet were bound with black electrical tape, which later washed loose.  Kelli Fager was nude.

Soon after the Fager murders, someone wrote a letter to Mary Fager, claiming to be the BTK Strangler.  The letter declared that while he had not committed the murders he was a fan of whoever had.  FBI experts said they cannot irrefutably say that the letter came from BTK, but one source involved in the investigation who saw the letter himself, states that there is no doubt in his mind that it was authentic.  "It made the hair stand up on the back of my neck," the source stated.

According to Lt. Landwehr, a local contractor stated to police that he went to the Fager house, where he was doing construction work, and discovered the father's body.  He went on to claim that he had heard some noise in the house and fled in the family's car.  The contractor was arrested in Florida four days later.  According to Landwehr, the man claimed he had a total blank of the events that had occurred.

The contractor was arrested and subsequently charged with the Fager murders. However, a jury acquitted him of all charges.

Lt. Landwehr said they have closed the Fager case because they are confident that the contractor was the killer.

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1. Birth of a Serial Killer
2. Dawn
3. Fetish
4. Different Worlds Collide
5. Vanishing Act
6. Ghost Busters
7. The Next Step
8. Cold Case Squad
9. Profile
10. Aftermath
11. BTK Returns
12. Will There Be More?
13. More Clues
14. Name Games
15. Police Power
16. Too Many Clues
17. BTK Suspect Arrested
18. Who is Dennis Rader?
19. New Revelations
20. Exercising Power and Control
21. Rader Court Hearing
22. New Clues
23. BTK Messages Revealed
24. Kerri Rader's DNA
25. Digital Footprints
26. BTK's Signature
27. Those Who Remain
28. Piecing Together the Puzzle
29. Nightmare in Wichita - Book Review
30. Not Guilty
31. Rader Uncovered
32. Creating an Insanity Plea
33. Surprise Confession: Otero Murders
34. Confession: Kathryn Bright
35. Confession: Shirley Vian Relford
36. Confession: Nancy Fox
37. Confession: Marine Hedge
38. Confession: Vicki Wegerle
39. Confession: Dolores Davis
40. The Psychopathic Mind
41. Dennis Rader Speaks
42. Legal Matters: Dennis Rader Update
43. The BTK Tapes
44. In Rader's Own Words
45. Otero Murders' Evidence
46. Mounting Evidence
47. Shirley Vian Relford Case Evidence
48. Nancy Fox and Marine Hedge Case Evidence
49. Vicki Wegerle and Dolores Davis Case Evidence
50. Evil Personified
51. Sentencing
52. Photo Gallery
53. Bibliography